Surname names for boys blend the best of traditional and modern. They’re fresh and unexpected, but also familiar and usually easy to spell. Whether they’re found on your family tree or not, there’s a good chance that surname names appear on your boys’ list.

I like names that are a little less common, but I don’t want it to be so unusual that people have no idea how to say or spell it. The other type of name that appeals to me is an old name that’s new again.

My husband thinks my list is “weird.” From his list, I think Oliver is okay, but too popular. Everett, Lincoln, Ellis, and Truman are on my maybe list. Ezra might be fine, but with a son named Levi, it seems like we’re sticking with Biblical names, and that’s not the case.

Our girl name for Levi was LeahEleanor. My husband still really likes it, and I’m still ok with it. But I’d prefer Eleanor with Elle for short.

Our last name ends with -son, so names like Grayson and Emerson are out.

Idris, Benedict, Shia…several of today’s uniquely-named leading men are now influencing the U.S. baby name charts. But what about the male movie stars of bygone eras – did they have the same kind of impact?

Yes! Here are a dozen famous performers who influenced the charts in their day (from the ‘30s all the way to the ‘90s). In fact, each one caused at least one baby name to appear in the U.S. baby name data for the very first time. How many of these actors have you heard of?

If you’re looking for a same-letter namesake for your Uncle Derek or Grandpa Dean, you might surprised to see that there are only four—all equally dated—currently in the Top 100: David, Daniel, Dylan and Dominic. But why limit yourself to these obvious choices when there are so many other more distinctive—even daring—possibilities?

Here are the Nameberry Picks of the 11 most underused, undeservedly neglected D boy names. And none of them is in the Top 1000!

There’s no record of a single newborn named Dick in the United States last year.

In fact, there hasn’t been a baby Dick recorded in the U.S. during the past decade. (It last popped up in the Social Security Administration databanks in 2005.)

This is no shock. The name Dick was a casualty of modern slang and its association with a disgraced president. But Dick‘s disappearance is part of a broader trend: Americans have shifted away from many once-common nicknames.